The saying “Kenya has its owners”

What it means when one says “Kenya ina wenyewe [Kenya has its owners]”

1. H.E. Jomo Kenyatta, founding Prime Minister and founding President of Kenya, Chief of the Golden Heart (CGH), and Member of Parliament for Gatundu constituency;

(i) Jomo Kenyatta’s eldest son Peter Muigai Kenyatta, was Member of Parliament for Juja constituency & Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya;(ii) Jomo Kenyatta’s eldest daughter Amb. Margaret Wambui Kenyatta, was Mayor of the City of Nairobi in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya, and Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;(iii) Jomo Kenyatta’s favourite nephew Ngengi Muigai, was Chairman of McKenzie Dalgety in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya, and succeeded Jomo Kenyatta as Member of Parliament for Gatundu;(iv) Jomo Kenyatta’s favourite niece Beth Mugo was Member of Parliament for Dagoretti constituency as well as a Cabinet Minister in Mwai Kibaki’s Kenya, and is currently a nominated Senator in Kenya’s 12th Parliament;(v) Jomo Kenyatta’s son-in-law Udi Gecaga, was Deputy Chairman of London-Rhodesia East Africa (i.e. Lonrho East Africa), in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya;(vi) Jomo Kenyatta’s son, President Uhuru Kenyatta, unsuccessfully vied for the Gatundu South parliamentary seat at the 1997 general elections, losing in a landslide to “a nobody” called Moses Muia in an epic and memorable “David vs. Goliath” duel. The name of Uhuru’s famous father, and broadly speaking, the name of the Kenyatta family, were not enough for Uhuru Kenyatta to clinch his father’s parliamentary seat, let alone a parliamntary seat elsewhere in Kenya, and let alone the Kenyan Presidency. Uhuru Kenyatta was appointed Chairman of the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), in 1999 in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya. In 2001 Uhuru Kenytta was nominated as a Member of Parliament by then President Moi, after which then President Moi soon thereafter appointed Uhuru Kenyatta as Kenya’s Minister for Local Government. In 2002, then President Moi fronted Uhuru Kenyatta as his chosen successor as Kenyan President at the 2002 Kenyan general elections. Uhuru lost to Mwai Kibaki for the presidency at the 2002 elections, but nevertheless clinched the Gatundu South parliamentary seat. Uhuru served as a Member of Parliament in Mwai Kibaki’s Kenya, Official Head of the Opposition, as well as in different ministerial capacities, and as one of two Deputy Prime Ministers in the Kenyan Coalition Government of 2008 to 2013. Uhuru Kenyatta has been President of Kenya since 9th April 2013;

2. H.E. Daniel T. arap Moi, Kenya’s second President, Chief of the Golden Heart (CGH), and Member of Parliamnet for Baringo Central constituency;

(i) Daniel T. arap Moi’s son Raymond Moi, was Chairman of the Kenya Co-Operative Cremaries in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya, and is current Member of Parliament for Rongai constituency;(ii) Another son of Daniel T. arap Moi, Gideon Moi, succeeded his father as Baringo Central Member of Parliament in 2002, and is the current Senator of Baringo County;

3. H.E. Oginga Odinga, Kenya’s first Vice President and Member of Parliament for Bondo Constituency;

(i) Oginga Odinga’s son Dr. Oburu Odinga succeeded his father as Member of Parliament for Bondo constituency upon the demise of Oginga Odinga in January 1994, and is currently a Member of Parliament of the East African Legislative Assembly;(ii) Another son of Oginga Odinga, Raila Odinga, served as Member of Parliament for Langata constituency from 1992 to 2013, served in various ministerial capacities in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya and Mwai Kibaki’s Kenya, and as Prime Minister of Kenya in the Coalition Government of 2008 to 2013. Amolo Odinga currently serves as the African Union (AU) High Representative for Infrastructure Development, as well as being the current “de facto” Head of Kenya’s Opposition;(iii) One of Oginga Odinga’s daughters, Amb. (Dr.) Wenwa Akinyi is the immediate former Consul-General at the Kenya Consulate in Los Angeles in the United States of America;(iv) Another of Oginga’s Odinga’s daughters Ruth Odinga, is the immediate former Deputy Governor of Kisumu County, and currently heads a division of Health in the Kisumu County Government;

4. Jeremiah Nyaga, Cabinet Minister in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya and Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;(i) Jeremiah Nyaga’s eldest son, Joe Nyagah, was Managing Director of Kenya Airways in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya, served as Kenya’s ambassador to Belgium in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya, and as a Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister in Mwai Kibaki’s Kenya;(ii) Another of Jeremiah Nyaga’s sons, Norman Nyaga, was Member of Parliament for Kamukunji constituency in Mwai Kibaki’s Kenya;(iii) Another of Jeremiah Nyaga’s sons, Nahashon Nyaga, was Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya in Mwai Kibaki’s Kenya;

5. Ronald Gideon Ngala, Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya;(i) Ronald Gideon Ngala’s son Noah Katana Ngala, was also a Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliamnet in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;6. Juma Boy, Secretary General of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) and Member of Parliament in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;(i) Juma Boy’s son, Boy Juma Boy, suceeded his father as a Member of Parliament upon the demise of his father and served as Senator for Kwale County in Uhuru Kenyatta’s Kenya i.e. the 11th Parliament of 2013 to 2017;

7. Moses Budamba Mudavadi, Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;(i) Moses Budamba Mudavadi’s son Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi succeeded his father as Member of Parliament in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya, was appointed Minister for Supplies and Marketing soon therafter in 1989, at the tender age of 28, by then President Moi, served as Kenya’s 7th Vice President from August 2002 to December 2002 after Prof. George Saitoti was dropped as Kenyan Vice President in August 2002 by then President Moi, lost his parlianentary at the 2002 Kenyan general elections, but made a comeback at the 2007 elections, serving as Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister & as one of two Deputy Prime Ministers in the Coalition Government of 2008 to 2013;

8. Gen. Mahmoud Mohammed, Chief of General Staff (i.e. Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces – KDF as the title is known today), in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya. Gen. Mahmoud (then Brig. Mahmoud), famously led a unit of Kenya Army snipers in the retaking of Broadcasting House, Voice of Kenya (today Broadcasting House, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation), from Kenya Air Force rebels during the attempted military coup of 1st August 1982. Gen. Mahmoud (then Brig. Mahmoud), famously told the Kenya Army snipers point blank to their faces in Kiswahili “Tuna enda ku kufa,” which literally means “We are going to die,” though what Brig. Mahmoud actually meant was that they were about to engage in a risky high stakes operation. Gen. Mahmoud was a true warrior i.e. he led from the front;(ii) Gen. Mahmoud’s brother Maalim Mohammed served as a Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;

9. Senior Chief Musa Nyandusi, Senior Chief in Colonial Kenya;(i) Senior Chief Musa Nyandusi’s son, Simeon Nyachae, was a Provincial Commissioner in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya, was Head of the Civil Service & Secretary to the Cabinet (Chief Secretary, as the title was then known), in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya, famously presiding over Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1986 i.e. “District Focus for Rural Development,” and also served as a Member of Parliament and Minister for Finance in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;(ii) One of Simeon Nyachae’s sons, Charles Nyachae, was Chairman of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) in Uhuru Kenyatta’s Kenya, and is currently a Judge of the East African Court of Justice;

10. Senior Chief Koinange Mbiyu, Senior Chief in Colonial Kenya;(i) One of Senior Chief Koinange Mbiyu’s sons, Mbiyu Koinange, was a Member of Parliament and Minister of State in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya;(ii) Another of Senior Chief Koinange Mbiyu’s sons, Charles Karuga Koinange, was a Provincial Commissioner in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya;(iii) One of Senior Chief Koinange Mbiyu’s grandsons, Wifred Karuga Koinange, was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;

12. Senator William Wamalwa, Senator in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya;(i) One of Senator William Wamalwa’s sons Michael Kijana Wamalwa, was Kenya’s 8th Vice President;(ii) Another of Senator William Wamalwa’s sons, Eugene Wamalwa, served as a Member of Parliment & Minister for Justice in Kenya’s 10th Parliament, and is currently the Cabinet Secretary for Devolution in Kenya’s current Government;

13. Dixon Kihika Kimani served as a Member of Parliament in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya and Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;(i) One of Dixon Kihika Kimani’s daughters, Susan Kihika, is the immediate former Speaker of the Nakuru County Assembly, and is the current Senator for Nakuru County;

14. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka served as a Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister and Organising Secretary of the then ruling party, the Kenya African National Union (KANU) in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka also served as Kenya’s 10th Vice President in the Coalition Government of 2008 to 2013. In July 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka to the position of South South Special Envoy.(i) Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka’s son, Kennedy Kalonzo, is currently serving as a Member of Parliament in the East African Legislative Assembly;On an interesting related note, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka and Raila Amolo Odinga (mentioned above) are both still active in politics i.e. Kalonzo Musyoka is the leader of the Wiper Democratic Party, while Amolo Odinga is leader of the Orange Democratic Movement party (ODM), in addition to which both hold jobs i.e. Kalonzo Musyoka, as mentioned, is South Sudan Special Peace Envoy with attractive remuneration and attractive perks, and Amolo Odinga, as mentioned, is the current African Union (AU) High Representative for Infrastructure Development also with attendant attractive remuneration and attractive perks, and in addition further, the hefty pensions of both Kalonzo Musyoka (as a former Vice President) and Amolo Odinga (as a former Prime Minister) are still being processed, effectively meaning that both Kalonzo and Amolo will soon wear three hats i.e. “pensioners” with hefty monthly pension payments, active politicians with attendant attractive emoluments and “Special envoys on the African continent” with attendant attractive emoluments. In the year 2014, the “Daily Nation” newspaper published a World Bank report that mentioned that 38 million Kenyans were living in poverty as at 2014, and in the 1980s one time Butere Member of Parliament Martin Shikuku, advocated for “One man, one job” and it is unclear whether Kalonzo Musyoka & Amolo Odinga believe in Shikuku’s philosophy.Daniel T. arap Moi left office as Kenyan President on 30th December 2002, passed away in February 2020, steared away from politics in his 17 years of retirement, drawing only a monthly pension, unlike Kalonzo & Amolo who “are all over the place” as pensioners, special envoys and politicians. Daniel T. arap Moi in 2005 i.e. three years after retiring as Kenyan President, handed over the Chairmanship of the Kenya African Nation Union (KANU) political party to Uhuru Kenyatta.Credit also to Kenya’s 3rd President Mwai Kibaki who has remained just that since 9th April 2013 i.e. a pensioner and nothing more.

15. Henry Kosgey, served as a Member of Parliament and a Cabinet Minister in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya and Mwai Kibaki’s Kenya, most famously serving as Minister for Culture, Social Services & Sports, during the 4th All Africa Games of August 1987 held in Kenya;(i) Henry Kosgey’s son, Alex Kimutai Kosgey, is the current Member of Parliament for Emgwen constituency;

16. William Odongo Omamo, served as a Member of Parliament and a Cabinet Minister in Jomo Kenyatta’s Kenya and Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;(i) William Odongo Omamo’s daughter, Amb. Raychelle Omamo, is a former Chairlady of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), is a former Kenyan Ambassador to France, and has been Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Defence since 2013;

17. Nicodemus Khaniri served as a Member of Parliament in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya;(i) Nicodemus Khaniri’s son, George Khaniri, served as a Member of Parliament and an Assistant Minister in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya, served as a Member of Parliament in Mwai Kibaki’s Kenya, and has served as Senator for Vihiga County since 2013;

18. Francis Nyenze, served as a Member of Parliament and a Cabinet Minister in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya, and also served as a Member of Parliament in Uhuru Kenyatta’s Kenya;(i) Francis Nyenze’s wife, Edith Nyenze, suceeded her husband as a Member of Parliament, and is the current Member of Parliament for Kitui West constituency;

19. Kipkalya Kones was a Member of Parliament and a Cabinet Minister in Daniel T. arap Moi’s Kenya and Mwai Kibaki’s Kenya;(i) Kipkalya Kones’ wife, Beatrice Kones, is the current Member of Parliament for Bomet East constituency;

Moral of the story, No. 1: To all intents and purposes, Kenya is still a colony, is a classic depiction of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” and is still ruled by a small tiny elite at the top that dominates over a vast marginalised & desperate proletariat, the vast marginalised & desperate masses of the Republic of Kenya, who have nothing to fall back on really, because elections, plebiscites and the Constitution, have lost meaning in Kenya;

Moral of the story, No. 2: One cannot help but admire Kenya’s 3rd President, Mwai Kibaki, if only for one thing i.e. his “break with tradition” i.e. none of Mwai Kibaki’s children i.e. Judy, Jimmy, Anthony and David, are “big shots” today, and neither were they either Government or Private Sector “big shots” during his 10 year reign, in similarity to the reigns of his two predecessors, which is not to mean that none of Mwai Kibaki’s children will ever become “big shots.”And that’s not all when it comes to Mwai Kibaki “breaking with tradition” i.e. Mwai Kibaki, unlike both his predecessors, spared us Mwai Kibaki Avenue, Kibaki Day, Kibaki International Conference Centre, Lake Kibaki, Kibaki’s Bridge, Kibaki University, Kibaki National Hospital, Mwai Kibaki International Airport, Mwai Kibaki International Sports Centre, Mt. Kibaki, and statues, monuments and Kenya currency notes in his honour. If anything, it was Mwai Kibaki’s regime that unveiled statues in honour of Thomas Joseph Mboya and Dedan Kimathi.Mwai Kibaki appears to live by a maxim that applies and extends to all, including his own fellow tribesmen and his own children i.e. “no special treatment for anyone” i.e. “I fought my own battles, fight yours… I carried my own weight, carry yours”.

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